We've bought 2 and sold 1 car on Ebay. The first Ebay car had passed one the seller's state inspection, but failed our state's more stringent one. We put it back up on Ebay with a detailed list of all the work it needed and ended up selling it to a shadetree mechanic in the original seller's state for a little more than we had paid. The 2nd car was a early 70's Mercedes coupe (which is just the type of car you should buy on Ebay). The seller was less than 10 miles away, but we would have never known about the car without Ebay. We saw and drove it first and then won the auction. Whay we've learned- The thing about Ebay now it that new car dealers are also putting their used inventory there. I would only buy from an individual selling their own car or from a new car dealership. Avoid the "dealers" who just go to wholesale auctions, clean the cars up a little, and resell them. There are tons of them in FL and TX. Bidding can be misleading. Early on we noticed shill bidding (where the seller has agents act on their behalf to drive up the bidding) on a few sellers auctions. We turned them in, BTW and they were booted, but it's easy to get a new ID and re register. Buy the car on Ebay, even if you see it in person. That way you get a little bit of buyer's protection, as well as, the opportunity to leave feedback. Verify the title is completely clear. I would avoid buying a car from an individual who still owes money on it. It's a hassle and prone to disaster. Seller needs to have the tiltle in hand at the time of purchase.

I'm a Honda zealot also so I'd vote for that. I've had four of them and none have ever had any type of problem and required nothing more than regular maintenance, new tires, etc. I've heard Volvo maintenance and repairs are very expensive. Not sure if that is true or not but I noticed when I had a Lexus all the maintenance was 2x the price of the same maintenance for essentially the same vehicle - Toyota Highlander. I also heard similar reports from someone I work with about another luxury/high end brand - I think Volvo fits in that category. I also haven't gotten the impression Volvo reliability is as good as Honda but that's based on my experience with Honda only and anecdotal reports from a few Volvo owners. I'm not sure what new cars are going for these days but I bought a new 2003 top of the line, everything but naviagation Accord for well under $30K. It's the best value I've ever gotten in a car (we always buy new). In fact, I guess that's the model you are looking at 2003 EX-L - if that's the 6 cylinder model. This is a fabulous car in my opinion.

First: I'd want to dig into the assumptions, etc. on the heat load calculations to explain the different size systems. That seems like the obvious first step. Second: I would take this opportunity to consider fixing some of the "character" of the house. Can you put the difference in the cost of these two systems into insulation, air sealing, etc. and end up with better comfort and lower energy bills? I say that as someone who pays a little over $400 a year for natural gas (heat, hot water, range and dryer) in central Indiana where it gets pretty darn cold in the winter. I have done that while maintaining all of the historic character of the 1924 bungalow. You have an energy audit. If it was done well it should provide a road map for where to invest for energy savings. If it was done poorly, it will be standard items without much application to your house.

Yes, I totally agree like a car-dealer. Thank heavens my husband does bid negotiations for a living. : ) I received 8 granite bids in MA and NH. And they ranged in price from $8500 to $3200 for the same space. The same granite. Shocking! I ended up going with the installer/fabricator that was willing to work with me, treat me with respect and whose talent I had seen. I have too many neighbhors with horror stories about their granite installations. My choice was not the least expensive nor the most but rather a middle range price with a super reputation. I went with BFR from NH. They were fantastic. Talented stone artists and they were willing to help me find a stone in my price range. Ask for Jessie http://www.bfrandassociates.com/ I have heard excellent things about Gerrity Stone. I think it was BostonPam who went with them. Gosh. I can not remember who it was. I found myself annoyed with Ripano but I have seen their work and they are talented, just expensive. Sudbury went out of business in Souther NH but I think their other locations are still open. One of my neighbors was devastated that Merrimack stone did a terrible job on an installation but they compensated her. I have seen it in person. It is okay, I understand it is not perfect but rocks look like they are hard to work with. Good luck with the Dealerships! ~boxer